Bangladesh National Parliament The Finest

Architecture Of Louis Kahn In Dhaka

Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky) (February 20, 1901 - March
17, 1974) was an American architect, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his
own atelier in 1935. While continuing his private practice, he served as a design critic
and professor of architecture at Yale School of Architecture from 1947 to 1957.
From 1957 until his death in 1974 he was a professor of architecture at the School of
Design at the University of Pennsylvania. Influenced by ancient ruins, Kahn created a
style that was monumental and monolithic; his heavy buildings do not hide their
weight, their materials, or the way they are assembled. Louis Kahn's works are
considered as monumental beyond modernism. Famous for his meticolously built
works, his provocative unbuilt proposals, and his teaching, Kahn was one of the most
influential architects of the 20th century. He was awarded the AIA Gold Medal and the
RIBA Gold Medal.
Architect Louis I Kahn designed the Bangladesh Parliament complex, one of
the largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising of 215 acres of land. An oasis of
calm in a capital with 20 million people.
The building was featured prominently in the 2003 film My Architect,
detailing the career and familial legacy of its architect, Louis Kahn. Robert McCarter,
author of Louis I. Kahn, described the National Parliament of Bangladesh as one of the
twentieth century's most significant buildings.
There have been nine national elections in Bangladesh. The first and second
Parliaments used the Old Shangshad Bhaban, which currently serves as the Prime
Minister's Office.
The construction of the present Parliament complex began in 1961 by President
Ayub Khan, the then President of Pakistan as a permanent building for the federal
legislature of both West Pakistan and East Pakistan. Its inauguration took place on 28
January, 1982.
Previously, the then government had appointed Muzharol Islam as the center's
architect, but Islam deferred, instead recommending Alvar Aalto or Le Corbusier.
When those architects were unavailable, Islam enlisted his former teacher Louis Kahn
as the architect. Throughout the project's design and construction, Islam assisted Kahn.
Kahn's key design philosophy optimizes the use of space while representing
Bangladeshi heritage and cloture. External lines are deeply recessed by porticoes with
huge openings of regular geometric shapes on their exterior, shaping the building's
overall visual impact.

In the architect Louis Kahn's own words:

In the assembly I have introduced a light-giving element to the interior of the
plan. If you see a series of columns you can say that the choice of columns is a choice in
light. The columns as solids frame the spaces of light. Now think of it just in reverse
and think that the columns are hollow and much bigger and that their walls can
themselves give light, then the voids are rooms, and the column is the maker of light
and can take on complex shapes and be the supporter of spaces and give light to spaces.
I am working to develop the element to such an extent that it becomes a poetic entity
which has its own beauty outside of its place in the composition. In this way it
becomes analogous to the solid column I mentioned above as a giver of light.
It was not belief, not design, not pattern, but the essence from which an
institution could emerge...
The lake on the three sides of the Bhaban, extending up to the Members' hostel
adds to site's aesthetics and also portrays the riverine beauty of Bangladesh. The
assembly building received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1989.
The Main Plaza
The most important part of the Main Plaza is the Parliament Chamber, which can house
up to 354 Members during Parliamentary Sessions. There are also two podiums and
two galleries for VIP visitors. The Chamber has a maximum height of 117' with a
parabolic shell roof. The roof was designed with a clearance of a single story to let in
daylight. Daylight, reflecting from the surrounding walls and octagonal drum, filters
into the Parliament Chamber. The efficient and aesthetic use of light was a strong
architectural capability of Louis Kahn.
The artificial lighting system has been carefully devised to provide zero
obstruction to the entry of daylight. A composite chandelier is suspended from
parabolic shell roof. This chandelier in turn consists of a metallic web, spanning the
entire chamber that supports the individual light fixtures.
Upper levels of the block (that contains the Chamber) contain the visitor and
press galleries, as well as communication booths, all of which overlook the Parliament
Chamber. The block also contains:
at level one, a library
at level three, MPs' lounges and
at the upper level, party rooms
The South Plaza
The South Plaza faces the Manik Mia Avenue. It gradually rises to a 20' height and
serves as a beautiful exterior as well as the main entrance (used by members during
sessions) to the Parliament Building. It contains:
 controlling gates
a driveway
a main mechanical plant room
a large car parking space
a telephone exchange
offices of maintenance engineers
equipment stores and
an open plaza with steps and ramps leading directly to the main building

Presidential Plaza
The Presidential Plaza lies to the North and faces the Lake Road. It functions as
an intimate plaza for the MPs and other dignitaries. It contains marble steps, a gallery
and an open pavement. Other information
Completion date: 1982
Function: civic
Construction cost: US$32 million

Characteristics of Bangladesh National Parliament

The physical and architectural design of the building gives off a strong
Modernist vibe. The interiors apparently resemble a modern day cathedral intersected
with pure geometrical elements. Geometrical windows allow natural light in the form
of circles, triangles and rectangles; its very strong and simplistic.
The design of the Parliament Building, made by the famous architect Professor
Louis I. Kahn, was evolved from the basic human requirement of protection from the
glare and fury of nature. This has been achieved through the overall arrangement of the
complex in different groups of buildings in which normal external lines are deeply
recessed by porticoes with huge geometric openings on its outer facade, forming the
visual characteristics of the building. Thus conventional methods of protecting external
windows have been effectively substituted, resulting in the compositional effect of these
huge openings, befitting the scale of the building. The use of exposed concrete walls to
contrast the surrounding buildings with exposed brick exteriors, merges with the land
and its culture. The lake on three sides of the main building, extending up to the
Members hostel not only creates visual relief for the beholder but also echoes the
riverine beauty of Bangladesh. The entire complex has a floor area of 8,23,000 sq. ft. in
the main building, 2,23,000 sq. ft. in the South Plaza and 65,000 sq. ft. in the Presidential
Plaza.
The use of concrete and its very visible role as the dominant building material is
by no way an accident, indeed it was very deliberate and apparently typical of Kahns
work rather than seeing it as a half completed building like the Lalbagh Fort. Utilizing
light and space to create a poetic entity are the architects own words which formed
the basis of his many works and building philosophy.
Like the Taj Mahal, it looks amazing seen from afar, but is much more than the
main building the entire complex and grounds are beautiful. The complex is divided
into three parts: The Main Plaza, The South Plaza, and The Presidential Plaza. The main
building is at the center of the complex. The outer parts of the complex include the MP
hostel. An intricately designed lake surrounds the main building.
On the North of complex, across the Lake Road, has beautiful small artificial lake
called Crescent Lake, and there is a monument of late president Ziaur Rahman. The two
complexes together form a major attraction for tourists in Dhaka.
The complexes are popular among joggers and skaters of Dhaka. The official
Prime Ministers Residence is on the North-West corner of the Mirpur Road and Lake
Road crossing and is a five minute walk from the Bangladesh National Parliament. The
area is one of the higher security zones of Dhaka.